Square Enix recruits for MMORPG beta

TOKYO--Although it's been about a year since Square Enix announced the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Fantasy Earth: The Ring of Dominion, little has been heard of the game's development, and Square hasn't shown so much as a single playable demo. That looks to change, as Square Enix this week announced on the game's official Web site that it will begin recruiting beta testers for the PC game starting Monday.

One of the few things known about Fantasy Earth is that it will incorporate action RPG and strategy elements into the existing MMORPG formula. Although the game will have its share of goblins and other monsters from which to earn money and experience points, its core content will be realm-versus-realm battles between player characters. Players can associate themselves with one of five different countries in the game, and they can fight to take down one another's fortresses in battle. Up to 100 players can participate in a battle, divided into 50 players on each side.

Fantasy Earth is slated to make its commercial debut this winter.